The longest running Hearthstone podcast in the history of space and time and cards. Join Andrew and a rotating host of guests from The Happy Hearthstone community as they help you get better at the game and have a blast doing it.

Top Deck Kings – Kremepuff takes very specific/important fundamental aspects of the game and breaks them down clearly

Last Turn (just started listening) – description is a technical podcast, latest episode took a look at every deck that’s performing well in the meta, looking forward to listening to this a bit more to get a more accurate opinion

Omnistone – only on youtube, great HS personalities and competitors

Wild

Into the Wild – If you like the wild format and long podcasts, new podcast (8 episodes in), almost want to put it in the entertaining slot, craig is a character, nate is very well-spoken and articulate when it comes to

Firesides

The Innkeeper’s podcast – informative, focused on hosting community events and firesides

Arena

The Lightforge – only arena-focused podcast, great technical info about playing arena, often complain about the microadjustments; great segue into the next category:

I do a podcast you can find more information about at http://www.coinconcede.com/ . Our patreon has a level that if you donate at least $10 a month you get a 1 hour coaching session with your host of choice.

The Hearthstone World Championship have just closed up! And tom60229 is the winner!

Frozen won the first two rounds, then tom ended up sweeping the rest. Jade Druid mirror decided it, which seems fitting knowing the year that we’re in and that jades are about to rotate out.

Tweet from Ben Brode: ”Been reading discussions about balance; we have an update coming next month which includes some cool events, and that is when any balance changes would happen. We'll be sure to announce any changes as the patch gets closer. See you at the HCT World Championship next week!”

Unique features of the Rogue class

“One of the things we’ve talked about with Rogues is they have more class identity than most of the other classes. They don’t have good AoE, they don’t have good healing or taunt, and that made them very unique...and I really like that. And instead of making them powerful by giving them AoE or heal or taunt, we said let’s just make them super good at what they do: combo is something they do, destroying minions, single minions is something they do. Let’s make them by far the best at that. And this [points to Vilespine Slayer] is a really good example of that.” - Mike Donais

Deathrattle

Pickpocket

Quest

Oil

Explanation of three major categories

Tempo

Generally comes in later in the expansion life because (paraphrasing):

Firebat: Miracle is more fun, but doesn’t work as well as Tempo, so Tempo comes in later to beat the meta. Tempo Rogue takes all the best minions (Keleseth, Creeper, Scalebane, Bonemare) and the Rogue toolkit that binds it all together.

Frodan: Rogue is weird, sometimes it takes time to polish the deck to get it to be the meta-breaker it becomes. We as a community are also often too nervous to try new things.

Kibler: Rogue has powerful core tools in Classic set that are really good against minion-based decks.

Good tempo decks are always the core package (Backstab, SI:7 Agent, often Sap and Eviscerate, Cold Bloods, etc) plus other really good neutral packages such as the pirate package, the murloc package with Finja, the current Bonemare, Creeper, and Scalebane package, etc.

“Bad” tempo decks are ones that capitalize on pure Rogue synergy, though they are the most fun. Examples are the Deathrattle, Jade, Elemental, and Quest decks. All of these blend elements of combo into the playstyle as well.

Combo

Mill decks are in this category, as are the Oil decks. Trying to draw, stall hard, save your hand, then dump it to kill the opponent is the name of this game.

Oil Rogue is now more of a tempo deck, but it used to be a combo deck with the old, pre-nerf Blade Flurry (could be seen in this week’s Tavern Brawl).

Top 5 tips when beginning to play Rogue

Don’t feel like you need to spend all of your mana (esp. Miracle, Combo). Even in Tempo Rogue, better to float a mana and save the Flame Elemental to combo later with Vilespine Slayer or Elven Minstrel.

Be thinking two to three turns ahead and always be counting (ABC) your burst in-hand.

Watch for chances to shift the board in your favor, but pay attention to the opponent’s swing turns (Dragonfire Potion on 6 for example). You have to know the opponent decks as well as your own, even more so than other classes.

Use removal judiciously, and don’t be afraid to hit with your face. Health is a resource too.

Don’t use the last charge of your weapon on the opponent’s face unless you are pretty sure you won’t have anything to do but dagger on the next turn. You might need it for Southsea Deckhand or to help remove an important minion next turn.

Top cards in Rogue to craft

Luckily, the best cards in Rogue are rare and common. Must-haves are Eviscerate, SI:7 Agent, and Elven Minstrel, but you are likely to open them in packs. Provided you want to craft epics or legendaries, however, here the main ones worth having:

Edwin (Classic, Legendary)

Preparation (Classic, Epic)

Vilespine Slayer (UNG, Epic)

Fal’dorei Strider (KnC, Epic)

Sherazin, Corpse Flower (UNG, Legendary)

And that is basically it! The other epics and legendaries are fun, but they are not necessary. If you feel you want to craft more legendaries for Rogue to use, then consider crafting the following neutral legendaries, as they see a lot of play in Rogue:

Prince Keleseth (KFT)

Leeroy Jenkins (Classic)

Bloodmage Thalnos (Classic)

The Lich King (KFT)

Prince Valanar (KFT)

Community

Question

RidiculousHat - Why is Rogue the best class?

WickedGood - Shadowstep: The worst or literal worst?

NateWolf - Will Shadowstep hit the Hall of Fame?

Mattatarms - Why is Anub’arak the best legendary that nobody ever played?

James Waddell - Should you run Lich King since it did so well at HCT?

iTunes Review

Sweet Show

by ApexPredador

Great podcast and love every minute of it. Can't wait for weekly episodes.

Card of the Week

Blade Flurry

Feedback

As always, we’d love to know what you thought of the show and what you’d like to see added to the show for future episodes.